Meet The People Of PGS: Stephen

Over the next few months, we will spotlight the names and faces behind the great work we do in PGS. Next up we have Stephen, a Quality Investigator from Rocky Mount, who was one of many to encourage and help facilitate COVID-19 vaccinations at the site.

In the United States, the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted communities of color – a stark reminder of racial healthcare disparities. When COVID-19 vaccinations were being rolled out for site-essential colleagues at PGS sites earlier this year, members of Rocky Mount’s Global Black Community (GBC) chapter played a key role in building trust and encouraging vaccinations among the site’s diverse colleague population. Stephen was one of the first GBC members to sign up for the vaccine, and he encouraged others to do so.

“Because African-American communities have been hit hard by COVID-19, the GBC recognized the powerful role we could play in demonstrating the importance of being vaccinated,” Stephen said. “I didn’t want to simply receive the vaccine myself and move on; I wanted to do my part to encourage my fellow colleagues and their families to get vaccinated.”

Stephen has always found #Joy and fulfillment in serving and helping others. Before joining Pfizer 15 years ago, he served as a Captain in the U.S. Army for 10 years. Today in PGS, he is responsible for ensuring medicines that are released to patients meet the highest quality standards.

Stephen strives for #Excellence in all that he does, and not just in the workplace. A fitness and wellness enthusiast, Stephen says he is chasing the age of 103 – the age of his grandmother when she passed. His passion for fitness and his determined attitude have led him to complete the Ironman (a long-distance triathlon race with biking, swimming and running) three times!

“It took a lot of focus and discipline – lots of early wake-ups to train before work, and countless weekends spent swimming, biking and running,” Stephen says. “But the sense of accomplishment I felt after completing each Ironman was absolutely incredible. The experience proved to me that if you put your mind to something, have support around you and put in the work, you can achieve anything.”